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Frozen smoothie on a stick (with a few additives)

My youngest daughter loves ice lollipops all year round so they are a regular item on my shopping list. Recently she has had a yearning for lemon or lemonade lollipops but when I received my latest shopping order from Tesco groceries online we found that they had substituted the cheaper lemonade lollies I'd ordered with Del Monte Mango Smoothie lollies. At time of writing these are available at Tesco on a two for the price of one offer for £2.49 which is quite expensive for 3 lollies I think (good for the 6 you will get until the 2.7.12 though). If you think of it as £2.49 for 3 90ml smoothies, which is what they are to all intents and purposes perhaps not so bad? Although we like mangoes as a family none of us likes smoothies very much, but as this is a nice healthy lolly we kept them to try. I've had to rewrite some of this review as my opinion on them has changed fairly dramatically since first trying one.

I was a bit dubious as to whether my daughter would like these as she doesn't like ice cream lollies and the texture of this is more akin to ice cream than a liquid iced lolly. When we opened the box and got one out of the wrapper we liked the shape, rounded a little like a Solero or Magnum without the chocolate on, and it looks nice and solid on the stick.

I'm aware these are a very good product, fat free and packed with all the goodness of the fruit packed into a cool relatively healthy snack on a stick with only 98 calories per lolly, and suitable for vegetarians. However they are not pure fruit, they contain 30% fruit puree. I feel the sugar content is quite high (22%) and that is without the glucose syrup which is just another type of sugar, there are also other ingredients which act as stabilisers etc.

These are a popular lolly so please forgive me for what I'm about to say. Initially we all hated them; in fact revulsion is quite an accurate word. My daughter took one look at the unwrapped product and refused to touch it as she didn't like the look of the sticky strings which seemed to stretch between lolly and wrapper as it was peeled off. Frustratingly if she doesn't like the look of something nothing on earth will get her to try it. So I began touting them to the rest of the family and tried the opened one myself. Words are not enough to describe how disgusting I thought this lolly was. It was slimy, slippery and sticky in texture; these are qualities of which I'm not overly fond in any aspect of my life but particularly food. The flavour was of course of mangoes and cannot be faulted in that repect. However I felt it was very sugary and acidic at the same time, and although mango is quite a sweet fruit I don't find the raw fruit over sugary or sickly.

The husband at first refused to take a bite of the lolly as he didn't like the look of it either. However when I knelt on his chest, pushed the lolly towards his lips and said 'go on bite it I want your opinion' he seemed to relent. He didn't like it and refused another bite 'just to make sure' even with the addition of the other knee. I noticed that my eldest daughter who is a very healthy eater had taken one, but I found the stick surrounded by what looked like pretty much the whole melted smoothy pooled in a sticky mess in her bin, thank goodness for bin liners.

Here comes the opinion change. The box contained 3 lollies so there was still one left, I thought I'd give it another shot before writing the review just to refresh my memory and not to waste the entire thing by throwing it out. This time the lolly had spent a little longer in the freezer between shop and mouth (the others were tried not long after delivery). Although the wrapper still stuck a little to the lolly it came away fairly cleanly. The lolly looked much more appetising and firm with no trace of slime. When I bit into it I found the texture smooth and more ice cream like than the initial sampling, and the over sweetness and any acidity were moderated by the correct cold temperature. I found that the lolly softened more quickly than a juice lolly and towards the end the texture I disliked had reasserted itself somewhat (I'm a slow eater). I quite enjoyed this second bash at the product.

In the end these got resounding thumbs down from my whole family even though I'm sure most people wouldn't mind the softer texture when not straight from the fridge. However when eaten at the right temperature and not slightly defrosted as they seem to have been when they arrived in my Tesco order they are a delicious fairly healthy (not totally because of the high sugar content) and low calorie snack they just don't seem to suit me and my family.

Even though my review is fairly negative this is a nice product and healthier than many as real fruit puree is used, hence the 4 stars despite the fact that I won't buy them, or even accept them as a substitute again.

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worth stashing a box in the freezer

what a winner at 97 calories per smoothie lolly! If you like solero ice lollies you will be a fan of these beauties!I invited a friend and her son over for the afternoon and they have won them over too!

I am trying to loose weight post baby and needed something as a treat that could keep the food lover in me at bay without the weight gain.

These are scrumptious! They smell exotic and just like fresh mangoes. These lollies are fresh tasting, rich in flavour, slightly grainy like genuine mango texture.They are a good size and refreshing after a good meal or even as a snack. despite the size they vanish in seconds with me haha.

Only 3 in a box and for a woman with a big appetite they dont last long.£2.39 a box at ocado although until 21/9/2010 ocado have them on offer, buy two boxes and save £1. It still works out a little pricey but when you consider the price per individual ice lolly in a store or from an ice cream van then it is worth stashing a box in the freezer.

apart from the wrappers the packaging is recyclable so big bonus because I one of those converted people who hates masses of useless packaging and waste.

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A tasty frozen, healthy drink on a stick!

Ice cream and lollies is not something I usually eat at all really unless it's blistering hot weather (which it really isn't now lol). However my mate likes that sort of thing so when we go shopping together (I am staying with her at the moment) she'll pick stuff up like this and I usually end up trying it. This was something she purchased last week, x's 3 boxes all in one go. Not because they were on offer of anything but because she enjoys them and as she was purchasing them she was raving how healthy they are!

The Packaging:

Light peach and white box to which the front and the back of the box are the same in appearance. I am told that they are Del Monte 'Quality' Refreshing Mango Iced Smoothie 'With real fruit' and that thy are are virtually fat free and contain 97 calories each and also that they contain no preservatives, artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners and that in this case the box contains 3 smoothies. Other information given on the box includes ingredients and allergy advice along with storage, the best before date is clearly displayed along with a full nutritional rundown and an at a glance nutritional chart and contact details for Del Monte are listed. Inside the box you get 3x90g smoothies on sticks and in a wrapper that simply peels off.

The Smoothies:

Sort of like frozen smoothies on sticks of course and a sort of oval in shape and rather thick! Peach in colour and totally tasting like smooth and ripe and lightly sweetened mango's.... suck this and it melts to liquid in seconds in the mouth without melting to mush as soon as it is opened. Nicely and naturally sweetened these are what thew are and that's healthy smoothie, frozen drinks on sticks.

I liked these well enough and can't dispute the quality of them at all. I thought they were a very natural treat but although tasty I didn't find them all that luxurious really! Refreshing and leaving no nasty after-taste though they are a great way of quenching thirst but I'll save me consuming them until the summer!

If you can't find these on offer in a supermarket etc expect to pay about £2.29 a box and of course other flavours from within this range are available.

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Great lollies but buy them on offer!

I'm a sucker for ice cream and ice lollies, especially in summertime. Now that it's colder though. I'm not eating as many, but I have found one which I continue buying all year round.

Del Monte Mango Smoothie Lollies come in packs of three, and are not ice lollies. They are iced smoothie lollies. If you were to melt them you'd be left with a mango smoothie, not a load of mango flavoured water.

The lollies are priced at £2.29 for a pack of three, which I'm sure you'll agree is very expensive. I found that over the summer, more often than not Tesco had them on offer. I bought them several times for £1 or £1.50 a pack. Currently they have them on 2 packs for £3, which is a very good deal.

Each lolly is about the size of a Magnum, so they are a good size, and nice and chunky too. You can tell from looking at them that they are not ice, but are a thicker texture. They are bright orange, brighter than the colour of mango flesh. When you lick one the texture is lovely and thick, just like a smoothie, or if you bite a bit off, it is very smooth and easy to sink your teeth into.

Taste wise, they are undoubtedly mango. It is a strong flavour, and one thing I love about these smoothie lollies is that unlike with ice lollies, which you can suck the flavour out of and be left with ice on a stick, the smoothie texture of these means that doesn't happen. You can lick away at the lolly and the flavour stays as strong as when you start off.

One slight drawback which I only discovered this week is that they seem to develop a kind of sticky goop on them if they've been in the freezer a while. I had one at the weekend which had been in my freezer two months, was within date and still sealed in its packaging, but down one side it had some syrupy like goop on it. I've seen this kind of thing on old ice lollies, but usually older than two months, and not as much. At least it was only down one side, but it was a little off putting, so these are probably best consumed within a month of purchase. It probably says something like that on the packaging, but as you may have realised from previous reviews, I'm not a read-the-instructions kind of girl.

In terms of health, I'm not very good at analysing ingredients and can't really be bothered, but I do feel slightly virtuous eating these lollies. They have no artificial colours, flavourings or preservatives, and do contain real fruit. They are only 97 calories - I'm not a calorie counter, but I'd bet that's better than a Magnum!

Overall, I find these smoothie lollies to be a much better option than standard ice lollies. Tastier, refreshing and a lovely texture. I would recommend them, but look out for offers because as tasty as they are, £2.29 is a bit extortionate.

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Tasty alternative to ice cream

At this time of year, ice creams and the like don't usually feature too heavily in my shopping basket, but when I see some on special offer, I make room in my freezer. These were reduced at the supermarket - a pack of three 90ml lollies cost £1, about half their regular price. They are long life - the best before date is about two and a half years into the future.

Del Monte Mango smoothie are my favourite alternative to ice cream and nicer than ice lollies. Made from 30% mango puree, they are basically a frozen version of a fruit smoothie - smooth and creamy like ice cream, but without the dairy.

===What are the lollies like?===The smoothies come on a stick like an ice lolly, are bright orange (which stains!) and tear shaped. They look very similar to choc ice lollies such as Magnums, but minus the chocolate shell. In texture, they are nothing like an ice lolly - very creamy, but with a tendency to melt very easily - I'm always dripping the lolly over whatever I'm wearing!

They have a tendency to melt on the way back from the shop and refreeze in a totally different shape, not usually attached to the stick. But unlike ice cream, which gets big ice crystals in it when that happens, this still tastes pretty nice - just put it into a bowl with some summer fruits and have it as a pudding.

The smoothies have a fruity smell and taste simultaneously both sharp and sweet and very fruity. The mango flavour comes through fairly strongly. Although they do come in other flavours (Raspberry and Strawberry/banana), the mango one is the one I prefer - it balances the sharp flavour with the sweet rather better.

===The nutrition===Each lolly contains 97 calories, which is about half that of an ice cream bar. It may be fairly diet friendly, but don't kid yourself that it is healthy - each 90ml lolly has 19.4g of sugar - nearly a quarter of your daily recommended limit! But it is low in fat (0.1g per lolly), salt (a trace) and saturates (a trace), so as occasional treats go, it's not too terrible. Plus it's more filling than an ice lolly.

According to the pack, it is vegetarian, not suitable for nut or dairy allergy sufferers and does not contain preservatives, artificial colours, artificial flavours or artificial sweeteners.

As well as water and mango puree, the main ingredients are various sugars, natural colours and a long list of (vegetarian) stabilisers - no gelatin in these.

===Conclusion===A good snack to buy when you see them on special offer - tasty, not too high in calories and it has fruit in, so you can almost think they are healthy!

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A nice treat that I will buy again

I have had this product in my freezer for a couple of months now but have not got round to eating them. The recent hot weather meant they were in demand in the house!

I have never been a huge fan of ice lollies (prefer ice cream) and I bought these on impulse as they were on offer. What a pleasant surprise! They were delicious.

The texture is very creamy, almost like an ice cream but not quite. Definitely nothing like an ice lolly. The mango flavour was just right, not sickly sweet or artificial in taste as some products can be, it was like eating a creamy real mango. Very nice and refreshing without that sticky feeling you get in your mouth after a lolly or the heaviness of ice cream.

They are a decent size (about the size of a Magnum ice-cream) and only contain 97 calories so if you are watching your waistline these are a good option. The flavour is also not unlike the outside of a Solero ice cream.

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Yummy!

Being lactose intolerant I was looking for some ice lollies that were a bit different... Plain ice lollies can get a bit boring! Then I came across Del Monte's Mango Smoothies.......

The box says they are "Refreshing Mango Ice Smoothie with real fruit" and they certainly are refreshing. These will quench your thirst and cool you down on a hot day. They are simply delicious!

Del Monte's Mango Smoothies are virtually fat free with only 97 calories and have no preservatives, no artificial colours, no artificial flavours and no artificial sweetners. So ideal for those watching what they eat. However, one 90ml Smoothie lolly does contain 19.4g of sugars which apparently is 22% of your guideline daily amount. I don't tend to eat a lot of sugary foods, so I don't let this bother me. Anyway, it doesn't matter... it's just a treat! Although... I must admit that I've been having one a day for the past few weeks... they're just so refreshing (I know, I've said that before!).

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A great snack

When I did the food shopping a few days ago I bought these Del Monte smoothies as they were on offer. Only just now have I tried one of the mango ones and I must say I found it quite delicious. Del Monte smoothies are an ice cream but a strange one at that which also happens to taste great for not that many calories.

The ice cream is smooth yet the texture is just like a smoothie which makes it taste as if you are eating something substantial which should contain a lot more calories and fat then it really does. The mango ice cream has only 97 calories and less than 0.1g of fat which is absolutely fantastic for an ice cream. You can really taste the mango in this ice cream which to me is brilliant as when I have bought low calorie ice creams before they have tasted very badly and nothing like the flavour they describe.

There isn't really a negative with this smoothie ice cream as it tastes delicious and isn't the unhealthiest treat you can have. Also the price isn't that bad as I found it on offer at £1 for a box of three. However even when it isn't on offer I saw it cost £1.50 which I still think is quite a good price for these tasty treats.

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yummy

known as the smoothie on a stick! it looks like an ice cream and also taste creamy, they just dont have the cream! these are so fab! why are they fab you ask? well theres absolutly:NO PRESERVATIVES.NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURS.NO ARTIFICIAL FLAVOURS.NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS.and ONLY 97cals per lolly and virtually fat free! so not only do they taste fantastic there good for you! real fruit is used, 1 lolly = 2 of your 5 aday! there also cheap aswell only £1 (tesco, iceland, asda). you get 3 lollies in each pack which is good. if you get ice cream cravings you can put one in a bowl and pretend your eating ice cream, sad i know, but it works and also you dont get all that guilt that comes with eating a whole bowl of ice cream! (this works really well with the strawberry and banana flavour) the colour is slightly strange (bright orange/yellow) but tastes great and you can even eat all three guilt free (unless you concerned about sugar in take, each lolly contains 22% of daily sugar intake eek! but at least its natural sugar :-)!)

so quick summary 1) great for summer2)taste fantastic3) dodgy colour4) good value5)guilt free indulgance!6)good for those who can't eat ice cream but love it! like me :-)

however they do taste a bit sweet so good for sweet tooths but not good for those who don't particularly like things that are too sweet and you have to eat them quite fast as they tend to melt, so to avoid sticky fingers and a mess on the floor munch quickly. i personally think that they dont really taste like mango so if you like mango dont expect a mango taste and if you dont like mango give them a try!

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dee..lish!!

Ok, to start off I shall confess....I hate ice cream. Utterly hate it, I think it tastes like cows. There, I've said it - hang, draw and quarter me I don't care, but I refuse to eat it. I'm not very good with dairy milky things in general to be honest. So these ice lollies are an absolute godsend! They are the closest things to ice cream...without tasting anything like ice cream. They are filling, more-ish and an absolute delight to eat.

PriceI got mine out of Sainsbury's. They were 1.99 reduced to 99p. Bargain! I bought these ones and the strawberry and bannana ones too. (I made the fatal mistake of opening the box on my way home from the supermarket on a sunny day....they were so good I ate 3 of them on my way home! - My feeble excuse was that I didn't want them to melt. Needless to say the other box I didn't demolish had perfect lollies still intact when I got home)

DescriptionIt says on the box "Refreshing Mago Iced Smoothie with real fruit" . No preservatives, no artificial colours, no artificial flavours, no artificial sweeteners. (ALL GOOD TO KNOW!!)These are a frozen desert. You get three in a pack. Bright orangey colour - look really yum.

PackagingThe box has a picture of the ice lolly on it with a bit out of it as well a mango underneath it. It has the del monte trademark on them too. The box looks really fruity and refreshing. The bite out of the lolly looks so mouth watering.

Taste and TextureVery smooth (shock horror considering they are called smoothies!) A really silky velvety texture. Melt in the mouth. Kind of like sorbet but without the gritty bits. No bits whatsoever. Tastes really refreshing, cleanses the palate. Smell so juicy!!

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Great new product from Del Monte

When the fact that a friend arriving twenty minutes late for lunch meant that I could not have the mango cheesecake for dessert it meant the end of a friendship, this might seem harsh but over my lifetime I have had many friends but I have never come across the combination of my favourite pudding, cheesecake, with my favourite fruit, mango, so I was not best pleased at his tardiness. I do love pretty much anything mango flavour and hence I was pleased to get hold of a three pack of mango iced smoothie made by the man that likes to say yes at Del Monte.

In texture and appearance these iced smoothies reminded me of the orange solaro ice cream, they are about the same size, shape and colour however they have their own particular taste. Made from 30% mango puree they really do have a lovely strong fruity mango taste, there is a creamy quality to the flavour and it is very smooth in the mouth, the thing I really liked was the fact that the mango flavour persisted and there was no acidic after taste that I have found you sometimes get with other iced fruit lollies.

Now I have never been much of a smoothie drinker but if there was a mango smoothie drink like this then I could certainly see myself becoming an addict. All three iced smoothies had the same consistent flavour and I have already been out to buy a second box as I was so impressed with the product.

The smoothies have a firm texture to them if you bite into them and straight out of the freezer I found the taste to be a little masked however once they have been out of the wrapper for a minute or two they just begin to melt in your mouth and there are no ice crystals within the smoothie meaning that they have a smooth silky texture when sucked. Despite the fact that they are quite creamy I never had a problem with them melting and dripping everywhere mind you that might have been due to the fact that they were so delicious that they did not stay on the stick very long.

The product is advertised as being virtually fat free on the box and each 90 ml lolly contains 97 calories which is not bad I suppose although they do contain 23.8 grams of carbohydrates with the vast majority of that made up of sugars as there is both sugar and glucose syrup in the ingredients as well as the usual baffling array of other additives and strange sounding stuff that only a chemistry graduate would be able to decipher. Although nut free as a product this is not guaranteed as the factory where they are made does handle nuts and the product is suitable for vegetarians.

Each iced smoothie is individually wrapped and they are in a strong cardboard box with a rather nice picture of the product on it. As well as mango flavour there is also a strawberry and banana flavour (see the picture at the top of the review) available which I have not tried yet. Whilst in Sainsburys where I bought mine they were £1.59 which was advertised as half price I have also seen them in Tesco under a buy one get one free offer which is fairly typical promotional activity for a new product as they attempt to build up a customer base.

Certainly they are a refreshing option to have instead of a much more calorie packed ice cream now that it appears that summer has finally arrived and the juicy fresh taste of mangos is on that I really enjoyed and although nothing will ever taste better than the fresh fruit this product does a good job of reproducing it in the form of an iced smoothie.

Thanks for reading and rating my review.

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Product Details

Ice cream. Brand: Del Monte. The new Del Monte Strawberry and Banana Smoothie will join the existing Mango and Raspberry variants which have taken the freezer by storm in their first year and delivered sales of £5.3 million. Del Monte Smoothies now accounting for a staggering 19% share of the £28.3 million adult refreshment market.